Walt Whitman - To Thee Old Cause 汉译

To thee old cause!

Thou peerless, passionate, good cause,

Thou stern, remorseless, sweet idea,

Deathless throughout the ages, races, lands,

After a strange sad war, great war for thee,

(I think all war through time was really fought, and ever will be really fought, for thee,)

These chants for thee, the eternal march of thee.

(A war O soldiers not for itself alone, Far, far more stood silently waiting behind, now to advance in this book.)

Thou orb of many orbs!

Thou seething principle! thou well-kept, latent germ! thou centre!

Around the idea of thee the war revolving,

With all its angry and vehement play of causes,

(With vast results to come for thrice a thousand years,)

These recitatives for thee, - my book and the war are one,

Merged in its spirit I and mine, as the contest hinged on thee,

As a wheel on its axis turns, this book unwitting to itself,

Around the idea of thee.

1871

给你，古老的事业

给你，古老的事业！

你这举世无双、热情、美好的事业，

你这严峻、无情、甜蜜的设想，

经历了各个时代、民族、国家而不死，

在一场离奇而悲惨的战争、为你而进行的大战之后，

（我认为任何时代的战争终究是、也将永远是为你而战，）

这些歌是为你、你的不断前进而写的。

（战士们啊，不只是为了战争而战争，在后面悄悄等待着的正有更多的东西，现在要在这本书里提出。）

你是许多星球中的一个星球！

你是沸腾的原则！你是保持得很好的、潜在的胚芽！你是中心！

战争围绕着你这个设想而运转，

伴随着的是各种事业之间的愤怒而剧烈的交锋，

（将带来三个一千年的巨大后果，）

这里的多方陈述是为了你——我的书和这一战争是同一件事情，

我和我的一切已和它的精神融合为一体，决胜的关键是你，

正像轮盘随着轴心而转，这本书也不自觉地

围绕着你这个设想而转。

1871